Mikhail is in prison

Bad news — our friend Mikhail Iosilevich has been arrested and has been taken to prison.

Mikhail founded the first Church of FSM in Russia. The group he organized is very active, and by all measures a positive influence in the community. I remember many times seeing photos of their activities and being impressed with what he had put together.

You may remember Mikhail had been under investigation by the Russian government for some time. After Mikhail hosted a training session for election observers in October 2020, his apartment was raided and his devices confiscated. He was charged with ties to the banned political group Open Russia (something Mikhail denies). The criminal case has been moving along since that time.

Police opening the apartment by force

Mikhail is now in prison on political charges.

I don’t know what we can do, but for a start we’re asking people to help spread the word. The more attention we can bring to the case, the better his chances for justice.

Below are some news articles about the case. Some are in Russian but can be translated through the browser.

Please let me know if you can offer any help or suggestions and I will pass them on to Mikhail’s team.

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/russias-flying-spaghetti-monster-chief-22837053

https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4671899

Here are some google news listings for this topic:

https://bit.ly/3tLTX59

Photos of Mikhail: